Encrypted E-mail

If you communicate via e-mail then your e-mail should be end-to-end encrypted. For web-based e-mail I recommend using either ProtonMail or Tutanota. Both of these providers offer excellent security for your e-mail. There are however other e-mail services that also provide encryption and are focused on security. A July 2018 article on MachTechEasier, The 11 Most Secure Email Services for Better Privacy, discusses some of these privacy focused e-mail services.

With a small group of close friends and family, try to get everyone using the same e-mail provider (i.e. everyone sets up a ProtonMail account). In this way all communication within the group stays on the same network of encrypted servers, providing you enhanced security for your e-mail.

If however you send and receive e-mail between different e-mail services (i.e. ProtonMail and Gmail) the e-mail messages are not automatically encrypted. Encrypted e-mail across domains on a large scale is difficult. On a smaller scale, using Open PGP or S/MIME certificates can be of use.

To set up PGP in your web-mail, install Mailvelope in your browser. If you would like an e-mail encryption certificate, you can get one for free from Comodo. Both of these options work well, but all parties to an e-mail communication must use them for encryption to work.

TED Talks - Ideas worth spreading
Think Your E-mail IS Private? Think Again!

Sending an email message is like sending a postcard, says scientist Andy Yen [one of the founders of ProtonMail] in this thought-provoking talk: Anyone can read it. Yet encryption, the technology that protects the privacy of email communication, does exist. It's just that until now it has been difficult to install and a hassle to use. Showing a demo of an email program he designed with colleagues at CERN, Yen argues that encryption can be made simple to the point of becoming the default option, providing true email privacy to all.